CUNY WriteSite

Argue-It » Step One: UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE

Before you write an argument, you need to clearly identify your subject and know where you stand on the controversy. (Often, an argumentative essay is connected to a controversy with strong positions on both sides.) One way to identify your issue is through opposition: do I agree or disagree with X? For example, an argument might come from your agreeing with the President's decision to lower taxes, or it may come from disagreeing with your best friend's claim that men are better at athletics than women. To help you identify an issue for argument, we've come up with a selection of topics you can choose from. Each includes a statement with which you can agree or disagree. First, get a topic here, using the Random Topic Generator: You can get a new topic at any time by clicking the button below, but try to work through all the exercises with a single topic. After you've read the paragraph carefully, find the sentence you will agree or disagree with and write it in the box below:

The CUNY WriteSite

Search | Site Index | Introduction | Writing Projects | Writing for Exams Grammar and Style | Net Library | Conversations | Campus Resources | Teachers and Tutors

© 2000 The City University of New York All rights reserved.